Color Fastness Of Webbing

Color fastness is a key quality indicator for textiles. It refers to the ability of dyed textiles to retain their color when subjected to physical and chemical influences-essentially, how resistant the color is to external factors. The quality of color fastness is assessed based on the degree of color change in the specimen and the extent of staining on adjacent white fabric after testing.

Commonly tested forms of color fastness include resistance to rubbing, perspiration, washing, light, water immersion, scrubbing, and weathering. In practice, the specific tests conducted depend on the product's intended use; however, resistance to perspiration, dry rubbing, and water immersion are mandatory requirements under basic safety technical specifications for textiles and must be tested for all dyed textile products. Additionally, textile products intended for infants and young children must also undergo testing for saliva color fastness.

Color fastness is typically evaluated using a visual assessment method. This involves comparing the specimen against a standard grey scale card under specific lighting and environmental conditions to determine the grade of color change in the original specimen and the degree of staining on the white fabric. The grey scale cards (one for color change and one for staining) feature five grades: 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, with Grade 5 representing the best performance and Grade 1 the worst. Half-grades (such as 4-5, 3-4, 2-3, and 1-2) are included between the main grades, resulting in a scale comprising nine levels across five grades. If a webbing product fails to meet the specified grade for any color fastness test, it is considered non-compliant.